Archive for September, 2009

Wow, did not see this one coming. We just found out that some Zendikar packs will include an ultra-rare old Magic card instead of the basic land. We are not talking about some lame cards either – some rumored cards include Moxes, Ancestral Recall, dual lands, etc.

Wizards of the Coast confirmed this on the judge list posting though they would not comment on the specific cards available in the packs nor on exactly how rare pulling such a card would be. “Yes, certain authentic vintage cards have been inserted in some booster packs for Zendikar.” reads the official WOTC post. These are apparently old cards, hand-inserted into the packs. They are not reprints.

Earlier this month Wizards released an update to their tournament rules. One key aspect of the rules is that judges/organizers are now allowed to play in non-premier events such as Friday Night Magic or pre-releases. Another seemed to address the Zendikar inserts directly:

“Other than basic land, only cards from the expansions of the boosters opened (and only cards opened in that player’s pool) may be used in a player’s deck. For example, in a Magic 2010 Sealed Deck tournament, any card in a booster other then the Magic 2010 game cards received by the player and basic land may not be used in a player’s deck during that tournament.”

This means that if you open that Ancestral Recall in your Zendikar Sealed Pack at tomorrow’s pre-release it is not a reason to play blue – you’ll have to wait until the next Vintage tournament to cast it. Also, in any tournament where there is a deck swap it is the player who physically opens the packs who will be keeping the vintage card.

We have ordered Kings Games branded playmats and they should be arriving at the store before the end of this month. We will sell them for just $10.00 Here is a preview of what the playmat is going to look like: